A Veteran at 26, Edwards Is Still Learning

“It was a tragic love fest,” recalls actor Anthony Edwards of the making of “Mr. North,” the period comedy in which he stars. Co-written by Janet Roach and the late John Huston, the film marks the directorial debut of Huston’s son, Danny, and was originally to feature the elder Huston in a cameo role.

Unfortunately, Huston, who had suffered from emphysema for years, became too ill to work and was replaced by Robert Mitchum. Huston died before “Mr. North” was completed.

“Everybody knew John was sick, and then a week into the shoot he grew too ill to work,” said the affable 26-year-old Edwards, over cigarettes and coffee at his cheerful, sunlit home in Laurel Canyon. “We were all concerned but we knew John would want us to carry on and make the best movie possible, and that he’d do what he had to do. His presence definitely brought a focus to the film--everyone involved was there because they loved him.”

Best known for his portrayal of Tom Cruise’s sidekick in the box-office smash “Top Gun,” Edwards makes something of a quantum leap stepping into the lead role of “Mr. North.”

Based on a loosely autobiographical novel by Thornton Wilder, “Mr. North” is set in the wealthy world of Newport, R.I., circa 1926, and chronicles the exploits of a peculiar young man who teaches various lessons of life to the residents of this enchanted realm of luxury. As the dapper do-gooder Mr. North, Edwards is on screen for virtually every frame of the film--a challenge one imagines was exacerbated by a weighty cast that included Anjelica Huston, Lauren Bacall and Harry Dean Stanton.

“I learned a lot being around those actors,” said Edwards, who exudes a wholesome sincerity not unlike that of his fictional alter ego in “Mr. North.” “But strangely enough, I didn’t find them intimidating. Generation and experience isn’t a barrier between actors because this work is about communication and freedom.”

Edwards, the youngest of five children, was born and raised in Santa Barbara where he fell in love with acting as a junior high school student.

“Theater was big in Santa Barbara and I went to this incredible public school that put on full musicals every year,” he said. “I think the thing that initially attracted me to theater was the fact that it’s a place where everyone is accepted regardless of whether they’re skinny or tall or can dance or sing.

“It’s an amazing community that allows everyone to fit in. Then when I was 16, I began driving down to L.A. and doing television and commercials, and at that point I became interested in doing film as well as theater.”

Edwards’ motion picture debut came in 1982 with a small part in “Fast Times at Ridgemont High,” which he parlayed into supporting roles in “Heart Like a Wheel,” “Revenge of the Nerds” and “The Sure Thing.” The stakes in his career were upped considerably in 1985 with his appearance in “Top Gun,” a film that Edwards regards with mixed feelings.

“It’s always good to be in a film that makes (a fortune), but there are elements to that film that I don’t like,” he said. “It’s essentially a movie about rationalizing bad behavior. It did, however, open the door to other things for me--not that you should sell your soul and then go do something with integrity.”

Moral implications of “Top Gun” aside, the film was directly responsible for Edwards being cast in “Mr. North.”

“I liked Tony’s performance in ‘Top Gun’ very much,” said Danny Huston, “and when he read for ‘Mr. North,’ he gave a perfect reading. I was looking for someone who combined innocence and wit in the manner of Jimmy Stewart, and Tony seemed to have that down pat. There’s a simplicity and a romantic quality to his work that reminds me of the way leading men used to be. It’s fairly unusual to see it these days.”

Though Huston is keen on Edwards’ work in his film, the critics haven’t been so kind. Daily Variety praised his performance as “rather appealing,” but the Hollywood Reporter dismissed it as “wan and dull.” Edwards makes no apologies for “Mr. North”--”this is a true ‘G’ movie,” he says, “and I think children will respond to the magic in it”--but he said he feels he has done his best work in “Miracle Mile,” a Hemdale film due for release soon.

“ ‘Miracle Mile’ is the most challenging thing I’ve ever done,” he said. “The story opens with this guy finding out at 4 in the morning that a nuclear attack may occur in an hour and a half. The rest of the movie is that hour and a half in real time.”

“Miracle Mile” is one of four new features in which Edwards has starring roles.

Released in London is “Hawks,” a black comedy co-starring Edwards and Timothy Dalton. In “Hawks,” which was directed by Robert Ellis Miller (“Reuben, Reuben”) and produced by pop singer Barry Gibb, Edwards plays a suicidal man dying of leukemia in the terminal ward of a British hospital. The film’s American release has not been set.

Also coming for Edwards is “How I Got Into College,” a 20th Century Fox film directed by Steve Holland, scheduled for a spring 1989 release.

“After playing a guy dying of leukemia, ‘How I Got Into College’ seemed like a fun change of pace,” Edwards said. “It’s a teen movie about kids trying to get into college and I play the admissions officer.”

With four movies wrapped and edging toward release, Edwards is occupying himself with a starring role in “Grand Junction,” a theatrical work by Martin Casella, which will continue through Sunday at the Coast Playhouse in Hollywood.